Remarks by President Trump in Meeting with Inner City Pastors | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    Cabinet Room  •  August 1, 2018  •  1:55 P.M. EDT

    THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you very much. It's my great honor to be here today with some of the leading pastors and faith leaders from across our nation. These are great people, most of whom I know. And my administration is open, 100 percent, and we have been. We've had tremendous support, and I appreciate that. I appreciate you all being here today.

    In case you don't know, that's called "the media." (Laughter.) They're wonderful people. I like you better.

    I'm very happy to welcome these great leaders, including my good friends Pastor Paula White, Bishop Harry Jackson, Dr. Alveda King. Thank you for being here, by the way.

    DR. KING: Yes, sir. Thank you.

    THE PRESIDENT: Darrell Scott, who's been with me from - I think before I even announced. He was saying, "You should run." Thank you, Darrell.

    Today we'll discuss the progress we've made - and it's been tremendous - and the next steps we must take to continue bringing opportunity and safety to all of our citizens.

    Throughout our history, America's churches and religious leaders have called for change and have inspired us to care for and bring hope back to those in need. So many people in need. These are the people that - they do a job, and it's really, largely unrecognized, which is something they don't even care about, frankly. They just want to take care of people. But the people realize it, and they love you. They love you very much. You know that.

    By cutting taxes, reducing regulation, increasing American energy, and promoting American manufacturing - a situation where, as you remember, the other side of the equation said people don't want to do manufacturing anymore. I said, "Well, they don't want to make things?" Well, it turns out we're doing record business in manufacturing.

    We've increased and created 3.7 million more jobs since Election Day. African American and Hispanic unemployment rates have reached the lowest levels in recorded history, meaning history - the lowest levels ever. African American and Hispanic. Asian also. Women also - 66 years.

    We've launched a bold workforce training initiative. So far, over 100 companies and associations have already pledged to train and retrain over 4 million Americans. So important, because we have companies, once again, coming back into our country, and they want to employ people. So we're training and working with these people, and we're getting companies to do the same. It's been - actually, it's been a very beautiful thing.

    We fought very hard to include "Opportunity Zones" in our tax bill, which, as you know, we have. This tax incentive will bring badly needed investment into distressed communities - communities with high unemployment, communities where it's really tough, and tough to get a job. And already, we're seeing what's happening. We're seeing the benefits.

    Our focus on opportunity for every citizen includes helping former prisoners. These citizens reentering society have had a tough time. We want them to get jobs so they don't have to return to a life of crime and go back into the same prison where they just got out. I mean, this has been a tremendous problem. And the best thing we could do, actually, is exactly what we're doing: creating an environment where the country is doing so well.

    And prisoners have never, ever, even close, done better than they've done now when they get out, because they're getting jobs. And the reason is, it's hard to get people because we're pretty well filled up. So for the first time probably, I think I could say, ever, they're getting a break.

    And I have to tell you, the people that are hiring prisoners - and you've heard me say it - they're loving them. And I don't mean in every case. But in a big percentage of cases, they're loving them. And these are people that are doing, really, an incredible job.

    But a lot of people didn't want to do it; they didn't want to hire prisoners. They're doing it. I have one man, a friend of mine, he's now up to number 10. And I don't say he loved all 10, but he liked 7 of them a lot. (Laughter.) In fact, said six of them are better than anybody else he has. I don't think that's a bad percentage. Right? (Laughter.) And he's a fan. And a lot of people are becoming fans.

    We passed the First Step Act through the House, and we're working with the Senate to pass that into law. And I think we'll be able to do it. When we say "hire American," we mean all Americans - every American, everybody.

    We cannot have opportunity without safety. We're working every day with local and federal law enforcement to reduce violent crime all over the country. I mean, you look all over the world - you think - but all over our country. And the numbers are going down.

    Every American child should be able to grow up in a safe community, surrounded by a loving family, with access to a great education that leads to a lifelong career, and success, and all of the things that go with great success.

    We also underscore the crucial importance of faith in fostering strong families and communities. And I just want to again thank you all for being here. And you're very special people. I don't even know if you know that, but you're very special people. You're admired by everybody in this country. Even if they're not believers, most of them admire what you're doing. But maybe we'll make them believers, right? (Laughter.) We're going to work.

    And I'd like to ask John Gray, if we might, if you could just start off with a prayer.

    PASTOR GRAY: Yes, sir.

    THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, John.

    PASTOR GRAY: God, we thank you for an opportunity to speak about the hearts of those who sometimes cannot fight for themselves. Thank you for this moment to be able to share our hearts with the President and his administration.

    Dr. King said we cannot influence a table that we are not seated at. And so we pray that this conversation will be fruitful, and productive, and honoring of the best traditions of this nation.

    We further pray that you will continue to give wisdom and insight to our President and his leadership team to be what our nation needs, to build this country from the inside out, that we will continue to be a beacon of hope and light around this world.

    Bless his family, bless his health, and everything that he puts his hands to do. This is our prayer. And bless our time together. Jesus, in your name, I pray. Amen.

    PARTICIPANTS: Amen.

    THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, John. I think he's done that before. What do you think? (Laughter.) I appreciate it. Thank you.

    Maybe we can go around the room. And we'll start - well, my friend from the beginning. Thank you.

    DR. KING: Yes, sir. Yes, sir.

    THE PRESIDENT: Maybe just say a couple of words, Alveda, if you will.

    DR. KING: I'm so blessed and honored to be here and to be able to pray right here in the White House. And the most recent thing I've noticed that you've done - you've done so many things that were great. Everybody expects me to talk about the life and the babies, and I could do that.

    But you opening up the steel mills. And I lived across the street, Pastor, in front of a steel mill in Birmingham. Now, that's when they were bombing us and everything. But the people were at work, so they could go church, they could give (inaudible).

    THE PRESIDENT: They're opening up.

    DR. KING: - they had pretty dresses to wear on Sunday, and they weren't hungry.

    So you said you were going to reopen those steel mills.

    THE PRESIDENT: They're opening up.

    DR. KING: I'll leave it at that. I won't take too much time. (Laughter.)

    THE PRESIDENT: The dumping is stopping. You know, the dumping.

    DR. KING: But I saw that. I saw it. Yeah.

    THE PRESIDENT: Yeah, the dumping is stopping and the steel mills are opening.

    DR. KING: Yes.

    THE PRESIDENT: United States Steel just announced another two plants. They're up to eight. Nucor, just yesterday, opening a big one - a brand-new one - $250 million in Florida.

    DR. KING: I'm so glad. I'm so glad.

    THE PRESIDENT: The steel mills are coming back, and we need steel in our country.

    DR. KING: We do.

    THE PRESIDENT: We need it for defense. We need it for a lot of reasons. We can't let that happen. They were ready to be gone. It was ready to be extinct. We had to get our steel from other countries. We can't do that.

    DR. KING: Thank you, sir.

    THE PRESIDENT: So, thank you for mentioning that.

    DR. KING: Really, thank you. I saw that.

    THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Yeah, they're really opening. It's an incredible story.

    Please.

    PASTOR PONDER: Jon Ponder - Las Vegas, Nevada. First of all, Mr. President, I'd like to thank you for recognizing me on the National Day of Prayer -

    THE PRESIDENT: Yes.

    PASTOR PONDER: - for the transformative power of Jesus that had worked in my life. Since that day, I echo your sentiments that the work that is being done in the reentry community as a result of prison reform - there are a lot of employers out there right now that are willing to hire people who are coming home from the prison system.

    One of the things that we've learned was that employers are not not willing to hire people; they're not willing to hire projects. And because of the (inaudible) for the initiatives, when we're able to help them to be tremendous assets to the employers, and not liabilities, then they're hiring them all day long.

    So we just thank you for the direction that the country is going in, and specifically as our partnerships with law enforcement are beginning to grow. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has given us over 60 men and women from the police department that are serving as mentors and trainers for people coming home from the prison system. And I think that is a direct result of the direction that our country is going in.

    So I thank you and your administration for the hard work.

    THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you very much. And, you know, it's something that should have been done a long time ago - prison reform.

    And, Paula and Jared, I want to really thank you for the job you've done. It's really incredible. But a lot of people are saying, "You mean it's the Trump administration that's doing this?" You understand. They don't believe it. But we're really making a tremendous amount of progress, and it's a beautiful thing to watch. Thank you, Jon.

    REVEREND DE JESUS: Mr. President, I'm Reverend De Jesus, from the city of Chicago, from the community of Humboldt Park, New Life Covenant Church.

    First of all, let me just say thank you for your boldness. Thank you for taking a stand for those that are disenfranchised. And I want to say that, in the city of Chicago, there are so many pockets that's not talked about - about revitalization. And I know this is something in your heart, of rebuilding communities. And I look forward to partnering with you and your administration to revitalize the city of Chicago.

    THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much.

    REVEREND DE JESUS: Thank you, Mr. President.

    THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.

    DR. MOODY: Mr. President, my name is Van Moody, from the Worship Center in Birmingham, Alabama. And I just want to continue to underscore what's already been said. Thank you for your heart for all people, but particularly your leadership on the issue of prison reform and workforce development. Those are two of the biggest issues facing Alabama. A lot of the individuals that we spend a lot of time ministering to are really hard hit in those areas; corporations. That's the biggest issue right now in Alabama. So thank you for your leadership on this issue.